Now that Floyd “Money” Mayweather (44-0) earned a victory over Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (31-2-1) in their Saturday night fight, the focus has shifted to which fighters Mayweather and his team would consider for his next bout in September.
While there was some concern that the fight would be in question after Mayweather sustained an injury to his hand against Guerrero (h/t Dan Rafael of ESPN), the damage is minimal and the plans for another fight in 2013 are on schedule:
Now that everything looks like a go for another bout on Showtime this year, the focus now must shift to the next competitor that will step into the ring with Mayweather and challenge the undefeated streak.
All of the following boxers will be considered for the next fight, but Money and his team have proven time and time again that he does things his own way.
1. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-0-1)
The best possible next fight for Mayweather would be against undefeated Mexican star Saul Alvarez. While it wouldn’t be the safest bout for Money, this would be the biggest draw of any of the possible options, resulting in a huge payday for both fighters.
As the top prize fighter in the world, Mayweather has to appreciate the business side of a potential matchup with Alvarez. With that much money on the line and supreme confidence in his talents after beating Guerrero, this matchup may be too intriguing to pass on for Mayweather.
Alvarez is unquestionably one of the toughest fighters in the sport today and has the speed and power to bother Money in a possible meeting. If Mayweather feels even the slightest hint of doubt about his ability to beat Canelo, he won’t risk the undefeated streak.
While this is the matchup most boxing fans want, Mayweather could easily look elsewhere.
2. Amir Khan (28-3)
After beating Zab Judah in July of 2011, English boxing star Amir Khan was on top of the world and heralded as one of the best prospects in the sport. Almost two years later, Khan is once again climbing the ranks of the division, but this time after losing two fights in a row.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer revealed three names that would seriously be considered for Mayweather’s September fight (h/t MLive.com), and Khan was the first on the list, followed by Danny Garcia and Victor Ortiz.
Khan went on to lose against Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia after his coming-out party vs. Judah, but he has since amassed two solid wins over the last five months. As much as the boxing community would view this as taking the easy way out, it’s conceivable that Mayweather would agree to fight Khan now that he is back on a winning streak.
With plenty of weaknesses exposed in Khan’s back-to-back losses, Money would see blood in the water.
3. Devon Alexander (24-1)
The talk that Mayweather wanted to fight Devon Alexander started all the way before the fight with Guerrero was ever agreed upon. Money fueled the fire at the time by claiming on Twitter that the possible fight was already being worked out:
Alexander is a tough fighter, but Mayweather is the best in the business right now and should be fighting the top names. As good as Alexander is in the ring, he doesn’t sell pay-per-views and he doesn’t add intrigue to a marquee title fight.
This would certainly be viewed as Mayweather taking the easy way out.
While Alexander shouldn’t be a legitimate consideration for a shot at Mayweather (even if he does beat Lee Purdy in his upcoming fight), as seen by his unwillingness to fight Manny Pacquiao, Money has never had a problem being picky about the bout he chooses.
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